Liverpool manager Arne Slot alongside Florian Wirtz
Florian Wirtz took five days to decide to join Liverpool instead of Bayern Munich, says a German transfer expert who has revealed how Arne Slot swung the deal in the Reds’ favour.
Liverpool are awaiting a response from Bayer Leverkusen about their latest bid for Wirtz. They have put up to £109m on the table for the Germany international, which if accepted would make him their all-time record signing. And on the player’s side, there are no problems, with Wirtz ready to say yes to a five-year contract.
He was previously mulling over interest from Bayern Munich, while Manchester City were another potential suitor that dropped out of the race. Liverpool remained cautious that he might want to stay in Germany, but they look to have got their man.
Now, it’s become more clear how Liverpool managed to make a better pitch than Bayern, with head coach Slot playing a key role – but one of his existing players may be worried at what’s been promised to Wirtz.
Christian Falk, known as a Bayern insider and the head of football coverage at Bild, has explained the process behind Wirtz’s rejection of Bayern and acceptance of Liverpool.
“On Sunday 18 May, there was a secret meeting in Munich with Florian Wirtz,” Falk reported on CaughtOffside. “He was driven directly from the airport to a hotel in the city in a limousine. From the underground car park, he was taken up to a suite in a lift.
“There, Wirtz held talks with coach Vincent Kompany, director of sport Max Eberl, sports director Christoph Freund, CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen and supervisory board members Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Uli Hoeness also attended the meeting. It was the day of the championship celebrations.
“After these talks, Wirtz went on holiday. He thought about it for five days – and finally politely declined a move to Bayern. Wirtz informed Kompany. Wirtz’s father called Eberl and Hoeness.
“The decisive factor in his decision was that Arne Slot offered him ownership of the number 10 role at Liverpool. In Munich, he would have had to share this with Jamal Musiala. The talks with the coaches were decisive.”
Ominous news for current Liverpool star
Falk’s update doesn’t relate to the player who wears the number 10 shirt for Liverpool, Alexis Mac Allister, but rather means the central attacking midfield role.
That’s currently occupied by Dominik Szoboszlai, who started 40 games across all competitions for Slot’s side this season.
Szoboszlai has been widely praised for his energy and work rate, but sometimes is criticised for lacking significant goal contributions – something Wirtz outranks him for.
Falk did not go on to mention what the consequences will be for Szoboszlai. As things stand, it doesn’t look like Liverpool would be selling him, but the fact that Wirtz will be the regular starter means Slot will have to come up with a different plan for the Hungary international.
Either Szoboszlai will get more gametime in a different position, such as on the wing or in a deeper midfield role, or he will become a rotation player, sometimes making an impact from the bench.
Szoboszlai is believed to have played a key role in another of Liverpool’s main transfer pursuits, convincing Milos Kerkez to prioritise a move from Bournemouth, so it seems like he’s still buying into the project himself.
Why Wirtz is ready for the next step
Wirtz has recorded some impressive achievements by the age of 21 – becoming the youngest Bundesliga scorer when he got his first goal for Bayer Leverkusen, for example, although he has since been surpassed – but his recent record has shown he could be ready for the next step.
So far, he can boast that he:
Was named the Europa League Young Player of the Season two years in a row (2022/23 and 2023/24).
Helped Bayer Leverkusen win their first ever Bundesliga in 2023/24 and was named the league’s Player of the Season.
Has been named the Bundesliga Player of the Month six times, including in two consecutive months this season.
Finished second on the assists chart for the 2024/25 Bundesliga, after also being joint-second in that ranking last season.
Scored six goals in the Champions League this season, despite it being his first at that level – and was remarkably named man of the match in five of his first nine UCL appearances.
Has scored double figures of goals in both of the past two seasons, with his career high being 18.
Was the only player from Europe’s top five leagues to score 16+ goals and provide 16+ assists in all competitions last season.